Are courses taught in English or French?

All mandatory classes are all taught in English. Expected English level is at least B2. You need to prove this English level for your admission. Being English native or holding an English-language bachelor is also accepted. No proof of French is required.

Note, however:
- The instructors are (mostly) French, so you should be ready to get sometimes relatively “broken English”/globbish. Also, some of the slides or teaching material might not be translated (yet).
- Some options from other tracks (parcours) are taught in French. If you also know French, you have more options, but you can complete all required credits without French.

What skills will I learn?

- Applied statistics and optimization.
- Handling big data.
- Supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning, theory and practice.
- Predictive modeling and data visualization with Python, scikit-learn, Pytorch, Tensorflow.
- Cutting edge AI modeling techniques, including Deep Learning.
- Applications of machine learning to computer vision, voice recognition, text processing, natural language processing.
- Writing project proposals and communicating results in writing and orally.

See the provisional course list. Each module is a "teaching unit", in French Unité d'Enseignement or UE, worth 2.5 ECTS (credit points).

What careers does this open for me?

Students who have followed this program will have solid theoretical and practical training. Projects and internships prepare them to enter the workforce. This master's degree opens towards research and teaching, as well as to careers in the industrial sector or services. Some of our graduates end up working in startups or integrate R&D departments of companies such as Thales, Orange, HP, IBM Research, Yahoo, Google, Facebook.

Do students have the possibility of starting a Ph.D. thesis straight after graduating from M2?

In short: yes. In France, to start a PhD, you need to find an advisor first. To get a scholarship, you need to write a proposal and get letters of support. However, there are also some advisors that already have funding and advertise for an open PhD position.

Usually, performing an M2 internship is the path to the PhD (with the tutor who supervised the internship, on a related subject). But this is not mandatory.

Where is UPSaclay, is it in Paris?

No, it is in the outskirts of Paris, about 45 min/1h away by public transportation.

For people who like outdoors, hiking, sports, it is really nice. You can get to Paris easily and enjoy theater, restaurants, monuments, and museums. Locally, there are arts-and-craft, theater, sports, and other clubs, and limited local shows and exhibitions.

How many ECTS do I earn from this program?

120 ECTS (60 each year). In total (see preliminary directives), you will have to earn:
- 70 ECTS by taking classes from the AI program,
- 20 ECTS by taking classes common to all, or borrowed from other master programs at UPSaclay (languages, communication, entrepreneurship, research and development, conferences or seminars, etc.)
- 30 ECTS from the last semester 5-6 month internship.

Admission FAQ

Go read https://sites.google.com/chalearn.org/ai-master/admissions/how-to-apply-well !!

• I have completed a 4 year Bachelor degree. As such I would like to know which Masters option is best suited- M1 or the M2 program?
  We advise in general to apply to our M1 admission. If and only if you have followed similar classes to most of those proposed in our M1, consider going directly to the M2. You can also apply for both if unsure.

• If I am pursuing the M1 Artificial Intelligence program, how and when I need to submit my application for the M2 course?
  If you complete successfully your M1 program your admission to M2 is guaranteed but you will have to submit your documents in the online platform again at the end of the year. We will inform you about that.

• Can I submit documents later, such as the English test results?
  No. We need a complete admission application. Missing documents will lead to a refusal without further review.

• Is the program completely in English?
  Yes, you can follow a complete program in English. A few optional classes may be taught in French. If you speak French, you have more choices of classes from other Master tracks.

• Is this a 2 year program?
  Yes. If and only if you have followed classes very similar to the one we propose in the first year (M1), and you got good results in them, you may apply to the M2 directly. In general we recommend to enroll in the first year.

• What are the application deadlines?

  • M1, applications are opened :

    • Inception: from March 22, 2024 to April 20, 2024

    • TrouverMonMaster: see on their website

  • M2, applications are opened:

    • Inception: from March 1st, 2024 to April 30, 2024. But, please apply between March 15th and April 15th, as much as possible, it will help us make a better judgment (and it may be better for you).

The exact dates are visible when you will create your application on Saclay's admission website: https://inception.universite-paris-saclay.fr or https://www.trouvermonmaster.gouv.fr/ 

•  Are there any scholarships?
  See https://sites.google.com/chalearn.org/ai-master/admissions/scolarships-bourses